Spring suspension for car trucks



1942- 1. M. CHAMBERS SPRING SUSPENSiONS FOR CAR TRUCKS Filed Oct. 4, 194-1 2 Sheets-Sheet l gm N SEW; NE

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ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 27, 1942. l. M. CHAMBERS SPRING SUSPENSIONS FOR CAR TRUCKS 7 Filed Oct. 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. lsaacj il (flu/Ida's.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED TENT OFFICE SPRING SUSPENSION FOR CAR TRUCKS Application October 4, 1941, Serial No. 413,586

8 Claims.

This invention relates to spring suspensions for car trucks. More particularly it has reference to spring suspensions of the type featured in U. S. Patent No. 2,197,720 granted to Warren R. Elsey on April 16, 1940. In this patented spring structure, the end of the bolster rests on a leaf spring from the ends of which spring movement is communicated, through levers and hangers, to coiled auxiliary compression springs which abut against fixed portions of the side frames of the truck.

The chief aim of my invention is to provide an improved stabilized coil spring mounting in connection with spring structures of the type referred to. This objective I attain in practice, as will be more fully disclosed hereinafter, in an improved spring structure characterized by having individual housings for the auxiliary coiled springs, said housings being jointly formed by pairs of relatively movable components which are connected respectively to the truck side frame and the levers in such a way so that they are free to swing angularly in adapting themselves to the movements of said levers.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of a railway car truck conveniently embodying the spring suspension of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in top plan and partly in staggered horizontal section along the plane of the deviating dot-and-dash line 11-11 in Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends of said line.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail cross sectional views taken respectively as indicated by the angled arrows III-III, IV-IV and VV in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 6 and '7 are perspective views of the two components of one of the auxiliary spring housings.

With more detailed reference to these illustrations, I designates a side frame of the truck, said frame being hollow and of integral construction throughout. The journal boxes 2, 2 at opposite ends of the frame I for the wheel axles 3 are connected by upper and lower compression and tension beams 4 and 5, respectively. At the center, the frame I has an opening 6 into which one end of the truck bolster 1 extends, said bolster being likewise of hollow construction, and provided with' spaced lugs 8 at its sides adjacent the end thereof for cooperation with guides 9 on the side walls of the opening 6 at the top ofthe latter. Fitted into a recess It at the bottom of the bolster end is a replaceable saddle II which is in turn recessed centrally to snugly fit over the strap I2 of a leaf spring I3. It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 2 that the ends of the leaf spring I3 extend into the portions of the frame hollow which lie between the side walls 9 of the central opening I5 and the journal boxes 2, and that they bear on the tops of levers I4 at the centers of the latter. As shown, the levers M are arranged horizontally fore and aft of the truck with their inner ends engaging fulcrum bars I5 which extend crosswise of the lower or tension beam portion 5 of the side frame I. From Fig. 1 it will also be noted that the fulcrum bars I5 have rounded tops, and that the connecting ends of the levers I4 are correspondingly concaved from below for pivotal bearing on said bars which are held against displacement in the assembly by virtue of having their ends seated in pockets I6 at the opposite sides of the frame I. It will be further noted from Fig. 1 that the levers I4 have upward roundings I1 centrally of their top which are faced with renewable wear plates I8 whereon the ends of the leaf springs I3 directly bear, and which are flanked by upstand ing retaining flanges Ila, see Figs. 2 and 5.

Disposed within the portions of the frame hollow lying between the end journal boxes 2 and the central side openings 6 are groups of coiled auxiliary springs, each such group consisting in this instance of three separate helical units I9, 20 and 1H, one within another. Each spring group IQ-ZI is enclosed within a housing jointly formed by a hollow cage-like component 23 which is separately illustrated in perspective in Fig. 6,

and a piston-like component 2'4 which slidingly fits within the cage, and which is separately illustrated in perspective in Fig. 7. As instanced in Figs. 1 and 4, each set of coiled springs is in compression between the upper closed end of the hollow housing component 23 and the plunger-like component 24, which latter is provided with an interrupted outstanding annular retaining flange 24a for the lower end of the outermost spring unit 2|. Each spring housing component 24 is fulcrumedon a cross bar 25 which extends transversely between the side walls of the frame 4 and which has its ends resting in pockets 26 formed on said side walls. Like the bars I5, the fulcrum bars 25 have rounded tops which are engaged by corresponding concave recesses centrally of the bottoms of the spring housing components 24. From Figs. 1 and 4 it will moreover be noted that the hollow component 23 of each auxiliary spring housing is provided with longitudinal slots 21 at opposite sides thereof to clear the cross pin 25; and that said component is extended well below the piston-like component 24. At opposite sides, the component 23' is formed with openings 28 to receive the opposite ends of a third cross bar 29 whereof the rounded top is engaged by the upwardly-recessed swinging end of the corresponding lever I l. As shown in Fig. 4, the cross bars are held against endwise displacement by virtue of being notched as at 25a, 29a at the region of their engagement with the bottoms of the openings 26 and 28 respectively.

Insertion of the several parts into the hollow of the side frame is made possible through provision of bottom openings 30 in said frame between the journal boxes 2 and a short central cross web of the lower or tension beam of the frame; while openings 3| in the side walls of said frame permit manipulation of the parts incident to assembly.

In the operation of the truck, movement communicated through the leaf spring l3 from the bolster to the levers I4 is absorbed by the auxiliary spring groups l9-2l as said spring groups are compressed through relative movement between the housing components 23 and 24. In other Words, as the levers [4 swing down on their fulcra Hi, the cage components 23 of the auxiliary spring groups are depressed, with incidental rocking of the housings on the cross bars 25 as said groups undergo compression to absorb shocks incident to travel of the truck over surface irregularities of the track rails.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a car truck, a side frame and a bolster; a leaf spring on which one end of the bolster rests; a lever fulcrumed on the side frame whereon one end of the leaf spring bears; an auxiliary coiled compression spring; a housing for the auxiliary spring jointly formed by a pair of relatively movable components which respectively constitute abutments for the opposite ends of said auxiliary spring, one such component being in the form of a piston and the other being in the form of a cup cylinder slidingly fitting over the piston component; means whereby the piston component is fulcrumed to rock about a transverse pivot axis on the side frame of the truck;

and means whereby the cylinder component is pivotally connected at its open end to the swing- .ing end of the lever adjacent the pivot of the piston component.

2. A car truck according to claim 1, in which the lever is horizontally arranged; and in which the auxiliary spring and its housing are vertically arranged.

3. A car truck according to claim 1, in which the side frame has a hollow between side walls; in which the end of the bolster extends into such hollow; and in which the leaf spring, the lever and the auxiliary spring and its housing are all disposed within said hollow.

4. A car truck according to claim 1, in which the side frame has a hollow between side walls; in which the end of the bolster extends into such hollow; in which the leaf spring, the lever and the auxiliary spring and its housing are all disposed within said hollow; in which a cross bar with its ends resting in pockets afforded by the side walls of the side frame provides a fulcriun for the first mentioned component of the auxiliary spring housing; and in which a similar cross bar with its ends resting in pockets at opposite sides of the hollow component of the auxiliary spring housing provides bearin for the outer end of the lever.

5. In a car truck, a side frame having a central opening therein and wheel axle journals at opposite ends thereof; a bolster with one end thereof extending into the central opening of the side frame; a leaf spring on the center of which the end of the bolster rests; a pair of horizontal fore and aft extending levers on the centers of which the ends of the leaf spring bear, said levers having their inner ends fulcrumed on the side frame; a pair of auxiliary coiled compression springs respectively disposed in the intervals between the central opening of the side frame and its end journals; housings for the auxiliary springs each jointly formed by a pair of relatively removable components which respectively constitute abutments for the opposite ends of the corresponding auxiliary springs, one such component being in the form of a piston and the other being in the form of a. cup cylinder slidingly fitting over the piston component; means whereby the piston component of each of said sprin housings is fulcrumed to rock about a transverse pivot axis on the side frame of the truck; and means whereby the cylinder component of each spring housing is pivotally connected at its open end to the swinging end of one of the levers adjacent the pivot of the piston component.

6. A car truck according to claim 5, in which the auxiliary springs and their housings are vertically arranged.

7. A car truck according to claim 5, in which the side frame has hollows between its central opening and its end journals; and in which the ends of the leaf spring, the levers and the auxiliary springs and their housings are respectively disposed.

8. A car truck according to claim 5, in which the side frame has hollows between its central opening and its end journals; in which the ends of the leaf spring, the levers and the auxiliary springs and their housings are respectively disposed; and in which the side frame has openings in its bottom adjacent said journals through which the parts may be inserted into the frame hollows incident to assembling.

ISAAC M. CHAMBERS. 

